Beliefs

Now I am reminding you brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received in which you also stand. Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you unless you believed in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that He was buried; that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures; that He appeared to Kephas then to the Twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
– 1 Corinthians 15:1-6

These words written by St. Paul, are still the cornerstones of Christianity today. We first meet Paul in the Book of Acts. He was not only a Jew but also a Pharisee, and had no qualms about persecuting the followers of Jesus Christ. Yet, Jesus chose this man to be the vessel by which the Gospel would be preached. Through divine intervention, Paul did more for early Christianity than any other, including the Apostles.

St. Paul was sent to many different regions to spread the good new that is Jesus. He was imprisoned, beaten, ridiculed for preaching the Word. When those regions started to revert to their former sinful ways, Paul would either write to them or send one of his trusted assistants, such as Timothy. St. Paul would point out to them the errors of their ways, and what to do in order to correct them. One of his most fundamental teaching was what we received from Jesus. These teaching are still used in the Nicene Creed today, and are the basic beliefs of Christianity.

If you truly believed the gospel, as St. Paul wrote, then there are some beliefs that are set in your heart. Jesus did live, and he did give himself up freely for our sins. Without that sacrifice, we would all still be lost to sin with no hope of redemption. After Jesus was put to death by crucifixion, he rose on the third day. That is what separates Christians from Jews. Jews do not believe Jesus rose from the dead, only that he was a gifted teacher. If Jesus never rose from the dead, than his death was meaningless.

Sin required a blood sacrifice. There are examples of this throughout the Old Testament. Jesus is often referred to as the Lamb of God; lambs were commonly used as the animal for sacrifices. Jesus was without sin, yet on the Cross, He bore all our sins. Jesus said that he didn’t come to replace the law, but to fulfill it. On the third day, Jesus was raised; overcoming sin and death. We are no longer dead in our sins, but alive through Christ. Jesus appeared not only to Peter, Mary, and his apostles, but to over 500. His rising from the dead paid our debt to sin. He told them where He was now going; He would be waiting and preparing for their arrival. In His absence, Jesus left us the Holy Spirit who was to guide and teach all of His believers, even those not yet born. One day when Jesus returns, and calls all His followers, we too will rise as He did. Until that glorious day, run the race; when in doubt remember these truths that were written more than 2,000 years ago.